Beet-harvester.



K. sATo. BERT HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.26, 1913.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

K. SATO.

BEET HARVESTER.

.` APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26,1913. l; l @K55 l Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

3 SHEETS--SHEET 2.

K. SATO. BBET HARVESTER.. v APPLIUMION FILED Nov.za,191s. 4 1,107,555 1 l' l r Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

s SHEETS-SHEET a.

KUBLAKICHI SATO, 0F 'LGS ANGELES, CLWURNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

-. --lf n 4514;

lllmilicaton le. November 2G, i913. Serial -c. 803,34?.

TQ all whom, t may concern.:

Be it known that I, KURAKIoi-ri Saro, a subject Aof the Emperor of Japan, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Beet-Harvester, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to harvesters and esspecially to those adapted to harvest sugar beets or similar roots.

In the production of beet sugar, only the root portion of the beet is used, it being customary to remove the tops and a portion of the head of the beet in the held, the discarded portion being utilized as a fodder for cattle. It is common practice in this country to plow up the beets and cut olf this portion by hand, using a heavy knife and piling the trimmed beets in convenient lots. This is expensive due to the direct labor involved and also on account of the losses incurred due to the scarcity of suitable labor in some c districts.

, Theprincipal object of .my invention is to provide a harvester which may be pulled through a field of growing beets, by any suitable draft means, such as horses, and which will dig the bee-ts, remove the tops, lnd pile the trimmed beets in convenient ots.

A further object is to provide `such a machine which will perform its functions solely by the power furnished by the draft means.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereafter.

In the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of myinvention: Figure l is a plan view of a harvester with the seat removed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is an elevation partly in section of a portion of the harvester. Fig. Il is a perspective view of an element. Fig. 5 is a plan of the harvester with certain parts removed to show the travel of the beets therethrough, and Fig. 6 is a partial section on the line @v8-w8 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In these drawings, a frame l is carried on an axle 2, to which are secured rear wheels 3, and on a pivoted bow 4 in which turn front wheels 5. A digging device 6 is pivoted on a shaft 7 and raised and lowered by a handle 8. A conveyer 9 actuated by the wheels 3 carries the beets up to the knife 10 from which the trimmed portion passes into a hopper 11, this hopper having dumping i lecured to the axle 2 which 1s rigidly sedoors and an automatic dumping derice for actuating these doors whenever the hopper is filled.

Describing the harvester more in detail, the frame l consists of a pair of angles l2 which are fastenedlfiack to back and which have a pin 13 at the forward end on which the bow 4 turns. This bow 4 is provided with a plate 14 in which is a hole "or the f attachment of draft means. The .2 extend baclrwardly and down show i6 and fasten. to a strap l? which is rigidly secured to a. strap 18. Straps 13 i I 20 tasten the hopper ll to the frame, and a bow 2l carries the shaft 7 to which the strap i8 is pivoted. A seat 22 may be secured to the frame l by means of the members rlhe digging device 3 cor is prongs 24 and 25 with guiding nier 27 and 23 and a U-plate 23, all the being turned about the shaft i 30 which pivoted to one end f 3l. The lever 3l is pivoteat a.

o2 vided with a toothed segment 33 sec the frame l and engaged by a dogl rt-,r 4`-ied on the handle 3 and controlled by the grip 34.

The conveyer 9 consists of two chains which carry plain flights 36 and angle flights 37. These flights are made ci? sheet metal bent in the form shown in and attached to the chains 35 by riveting through the holes 38. They form a continuous inclined apron 'upon which the beets are carried. The chains 35 run upon sprockets 39 carried on an idler shaft l-O which turns i in bearings il secured to the strap 13. Illhe other end of the conveyer is driven by sprockets on the shaft l2 which is driven by the rotation of the wheels 3 thrimgh a gear 43and a gear i4 carried on a counteru shaft 45. The countershaft i5 is driven by a sprocket 46 driven by a chain it? from the procket 48, the sprocket i8 being rigidly ured and is turned by the wheels For the purpose of keeping the conveyer 9 tight, idler rollers L9 are provided carried on a shaft 50 which is riveted into angles 51 slidable on bolts 52 which are secured to the straps 17 and 13, the position of the angles 5l on the bolts 52 being adjusted by means of the nuts 53.

Placed above the apron is the deflector 54. This consists of a flat bar hinged to the frame 1 at 55 and carrying at its other end ira Elim

' rated as shown.'

'lil

a spring center 56, a spring 57, and a guide 58, the parts 56, 57 and 58 being bent on a radius struck from 55.

Supported on the frame 1 is an apron 59 above which is secured a guide 60 carried on straps 61 and 62. The guide may be ser- Rotating freely on the shaft 42 is a knife holder 63 which carries the removable knife 10. The knife holder is driven by a sprocket 65 by means of a chain 66 from the sprocket 67, which is secured to the countershaft 45. The ratio of the driving gearing is such that the knife makes a complete revolution every time an angle flight 37 passes the shaft 42. The revolution isso timed that the knife and the angle flights 37 are in the relative position shown in Fig. 6.

An apron 68 is hinged to the front edge of the hopper 11 and extends forwardly, resting on the frame 1.

The method of o eration of my invention is as follows: Suitable draft means being attached to the front of the harvester, the harvester is pulled in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the prongs 24 and 25 being dropped into the ground a suiicient distance to engage the beets. These prongs being on a gradual slope, the beet is lifted from the ground, and rides upon the prongs 24 and 25, being forced farther back by the suo ceeding beets. It will be noted that a line passing through the tips of the prongs 24 and 25 is horizontal, While a line passing through these prongs at the U-plate 29 is vertical, the prong 25 being secured to that plate directly over the prong 24. This twisted form of the prong turns the beets over on their sides with the tops at the left, as shown in Fig. 5, the guiding members 26, 27 and 28 assisting in this turning action. As the beets are removed from the ground they force the beets already in the machine backward, so that the are finally caught by the angle flights 37 of the conveyer 9 which are driven by the wheels 2. The con-l voyer 9 carries the beets upward and backward to the knife 10 which slices off the top and head.. To get the beets into the vproper position for this slicing, the deflection bar 54 is provided which rests upon 4the beets and tends to force them to the left, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the spring 57 giving the proper pressure. This movement is stopped by the iide 60 which is narrow and provided with a serrated edge, so that it quickly cuts through the light tops and comes to a solid bearing on the top of the beet. After the tops are cut off they fall to the ground, the trimmed beets falling into the hopper 11. This hopper is designed to collect a quantity of beets and to dump them in a pile whenever the hopper is iilled.

It should be noted that in the form of A flight shown in Fig. 4, the surface upon` which the beet rests is inclined to allow for the taper of the beet, so that the knife will cut the head on a plane at right angles to the axis of the beet.

l claim as my invention:

1. In a beet harvester, the combination of elastic tension on said bar, and a guide forv proper relation to the guiding the beets in topping knife.

4. A beet harvester comprising digging means, a conveyor receiving beets from said digging'means, a topping knife rotating at one side of the conveyer, means yfor sliding the beets across the conveyer into the path ofsaid knife, and a guide for limiting the amount of such slidin movement.l

In testimony whereo I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of November 1913.

KURAKICHI SATO.

. In presence of- FRED A. MANSFIELD,

\ .FORD W. HARRIS.

Genies of this patent may te obtained for ve cents/each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents.

g Washington, n. t. 

